Ramblings on bookish matters. Horror and fantasy have the lion’s share, but not exclusively. Occasional interviews, art posts and bumblings.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Title spotlight - "Tales of the Emerald Serpent" edited by Scott Taylor

I stumbled over this project a while back and for a
couple of reasons it set my interest on fire. I love fantasy literature with
passion and I enjoy reading as much of the genre as possible. That is without
neglecting the other genres, but nonetheless, fantasy gets the lion’s share of
my readings. “Tales of the Emerald Serpent” picked my interest instantly
because it is a reminiscent of the fantasy old days, it is an anthology sharing
the same setting but seen from the different perspectives of multiple authors.
I like this idea quite a lot and since I don’t get many chances to read such
projects lately “Tales of the Emerald Serpent” went to my wish list immediately
(sadly I was not able to secure a paperback copy through the project’s fund
raising page at Kickstarter
due to an unfortunate event with the bank where I had my account). “Tales of
the Emerald Serpent” invites us to journey in the Free City of Taux, a fantasy port of cursed stones, dark
plots, and a core of rich characters who share space inside the infamous Black
Gate District, a metropolis in the wider universe
of The Nameless Realms. By the looks of it, the editor of the anthology and
creator of this universe, Scott Taylor, promises a dark setting, another
feature that attracted me towards this project. Fantasy with dark tinges tends
to be high on my preferences for the moment and when the synopsis sounds like
this “Taux, city of
cursed stone and home to a growing population of the displaced. Deep within its
walls rests the old Ullamaliztli Stadium, and it’s fabled Black Gate, where
life treads a fine line between law and chaos. Tales of the Emerald Serpent
allows readers a glimpse into this shadow world as nine authors tell a shared
world mosaic that sets this fantasy anthology apart from any on the shelves
today” I am
certain that I can find something for my taste between the pages of the
anthology. The list of authors comes with some familiar names, Lynn Flewelling,
Juliet McKenna, Martha Wells, Julie Czerneda and Harry Connolly, but the main
temptation from the list for me is Todd Lockwood. Todd Lockwood is one of my
favorite fantasy artists and his talent is undeniable, as we can easily see on
the cover of this project too. But seeing Todd Lockwood crossing the border
towards the written fiction for the first time my curiosity for the result reaches
new heights. Especially when we have a face for the main character, Torrent, of
Todd Lockwood’s story on the cover, the girl in the middle. With all these in
mind I already secured an electronic copy of Scott Taylor’s “Tales of the
Emerald Serpent” and I am only waiting to start reading the adventures of this
anthology.